Miami got the go-ahead 3-point shot it needed with seven seconds left, but the celebration didn’t last long.
Florida State hit two foul shots with 0.8 seconds left to break the Hurricanes’ nine-game win streak in a 65-64 Miami loss Tuesday night inside Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
“That was a tremendous college basketball game,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “It seems like the teams in the ACC are playing these incredibly close games. Last time [against No. 2 Duke], we were able to get a stop with eight seconds to go, and tonight we weren’t. That’s how close these games are, and the last possession seems to determine the success.”
Sixth-year redshirt senior guard Charlie Moore sank Miami’s last three from the far left corner after fourth-year junior guard Jordan Miller corralled an offensive rebound off a missed layup. Florida State guard Rayquan Evans then drove to the basket and drew a foul to disqualify Moore at five fouls.
“I was thinking there was a lot of time left,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “Seven seconds is an eternity when you’re only up one point. They’re very athletic and fast, and we tried to contain the dribbler but Evans did a great job of just pushing it down the floor at top speed. He tried to get himself all the way to the basket, which he was able to get there and Charlie defended it. Obviously, the referee called the foul, so there’s not much you can do about that.”
Both Miami (13-4, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) and Florida State (9-5, 3-2 ACC) spent over four minutes without converting on field goal attempts until the game’s final 27 seconds. Florida State forward Malik Osborne broke the Seminoles’ drought with a 3-pointer from the left wing.
The Hurricanes watched their eight-point advantage disappear at the 12-minute mark of the first half. The Seminoles teamed up to take their first lead on their 11-0 run, before Miami answered with a 9-0 burst and closed the first half with a one-point lead, 29-28.
Sixth-year redshirt senior guard Kameron McGusty scored 11 second-half points and grabbed nine rebounds to help the Hurricanes to a narrow lead for the majority of the half. Moore added 10 points and nailed 4-of-5 3-point attempts.
Yet, Miami hit one of its last seven shots to fall 13 points underneath its scoring average, despite scoring 21 points off Florida State turnovers. The Hurricanes were outrebounded 37-25 and surrendered 14 offensive rebounds in their eighth straight loss to the Seminoles.
“What I told [Charlie] after the game was that he made an incredible shot,” Larrañaga said. “Jordan Miller got a great offensive rebound and threw it to Charlie, and I thought, again, that was going to be the game-winner.”
Miami returns home to face North Carolina Tuesday at the Watsco Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.